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Havre, Montana - Theresa Lamebull, who was believed to be the oldest living member of the Gros Ventre tribe, passed away of natural causes Aug. 10 at a Havre hospital. She was 111.

A funeral Mass was held August 14 at St. Pauls Catholic Gymnasium in Hays, with burial at Mission Cemetery, Edwards Funeral Home of Chinook said.

Lamebull was born April 19, 1896, near Hays and was raised by her grandmother. She spoke the Gros Ventre language fluently, helped teach a course on the language at Fort Belknap College and helped develop a Gros Ventre dictionary.

She and her first husband, John Walker, had 10 children. They also raised several other children and four of their grandchildren. John passed away in 1962.

Later in life, she married Andrew Lamebull. He also preceded her in death.

Her family helped her celebrate her 111th birthday in late April at the Northern Montana Care Center in Havre.

The family hadnt known exactly how old she was until they recently found her baptismal certificate. A priest translated the Latin on the certificate, which said she was 1 when she was baptized in 1897. She was delivered by a midwife and had no birth certificate.

Lamebull is survived by five children, 32 grandchildren, 78 great grandchildren and 62 great-great grandchildren.